Our community is excited to participate alongside all parishes, missions and Catholic centers in the Archdiocese to strengthen and renew our Church for the future. Please continue reading to learn how this campaign will benefit us.
Since arriving as Pastor in 2018, we have been hard at work securing support for the newly completed addition to our church and school. It is a testament to your generosity and God’s Grace that we have been able to accomplish such great things.I am grateful for what we have done and hope you have been able to see the positive impact on our parish that your generosity has blessed us with. Thanks to you our future is brighter than ever!
After having worked so hard to physically build up our church, I believe God is calling us to focus on building the church spiritually.Our staff, parish leaders and I have been mentored by the staff of the New Evangelization Department of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for the last two years to develop our new vision and plan to grow our church and increase the number of disciples. Providentially, we are also asked by Archbishop Gomez to begin our Called to Renew Campaign. All the churches in the Archdiocese are required to participate in this campaign.We are in the last group of churches to participate.
Called to Renew is an important initiative that will provide much-needed funds to renew our parishes, schools, and Catholic ministries and programs throughout the Archdiocese. Having worked hard to maintain and update our facilities, let us now help others in our Archdiocese, especially those with less means than we have here at Our Lady of Guadalupe, to be able to maintain critical infrastructure so that the greater Los Angeles church may continue to proclaim the Gospel.
The campaign goal for Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish is $560,000, of which 50% will remain in our parish. Additionally, we will retain 100% of any funds received over our goal. If our campaign is successful, then up to $280,000 will go to assist other parishes in their maintenance needs, and $280,000 or more will remain here at our parish to help our parish grow spiritually using the money as outlined on the following page.
I know many of you have made great sacrifices during our recent building project, and many are still completing their pledges on which we are relying to pay the construction loan. It is the intention of the Archbishop that the Called to Renew program does not impact your current support of our local parish or the Together in Mission annual appeal. I am asking you to prayerfully consider to additionally help with Called to Renew. I trust your decision and am grateful for your support.
Pledged over 5 years for the Called to Renew Campaign.
Our Parish Receives
$280,000
To renew our parish and strengthen ministries.
Parish Needs
Provide Seed Money for Evangelization Ministries
As the number of disciples grows as we implement our new evangelization pastoral plan, we foresee forming many new ministries to sustain the work of evangelization into the future. We plan to focus on junior high and high school youth helping to build their faith and fellowship and empowering them to become leaders in our society and church. As future leaders, they will help build the Kingdom through service, work for justice, and care for God’s creation. To support our growing church, we plan to allocate a portion of Called to Renew funds as seed money for a new staff member, preferably bi-lingual.
Remodel the Newly Vacated School Offices into Ministry Space
The new addition has provided new office space for the school staff, thus making the current location of the school offices available for parish ministries. We must modify this space both internally and externally. The internal modifications include movable walls while external modifications would separate the entrance from the school.
Provide for Other Enhancements of our Facilities to Accommodate Growing Ministries
As we grow, our facilities must grow with us. We will use a portion of Called to Renew funds to add video, sound, zoom, Wi-Fi, computer, and lighting and make other structural modifications to our facilities as appropriate all allowing us to better teach and preach the gospel. Additionally, we would like to continue to make our facility more environmentally friendly including but not limited to expanding our use of solar power.
A Bold Plan of Renewal
We — the Catholic faithful — are the agents of renewal for Church and society. I am grateful for this opportunity to walk alongside clergy and parishioners in strengthening our parishes and ministries, the heart of our Archdiocese.